A headboard is not absolutely essential, but very helpful when a bed is near a low window. A solid headboard will pass as a faux wall and provide stability and block a draft over the head. Once in a while you may read about the shape of the headboard being significant and in my early studies I read a book which cautioned against having a headboard that looked like a tombstone marker. This should not be a big concern for anyone. There is nothing superior or inferior about a bed frame’s construction materials. Bed frames can be made of wood, metal or even some other material like marble. One can do without a bed frame and just sleep on a mattress or futon if they like. However, some rooms need the metal element and if so, then a metal bed frame can provide about 30+ pounds of metal just in the frame its self. Some bed frames have an overhang with lighting for reading and this is like a miniature beam over the head, possibly contributing to sleeping problems. It is also not ideal to have a bed with a mirrored headboard of a mirrored ceiling. The power of a mirror can be too strong in a sleeping area.

The slats and connected bed frame should be able to take your full adult weight spread evenly over the entire bed. Although people often stand on beds, this is only on top of the mattress which evenly distributes the weight across all of the slats. If you find any weaknesses or cracked wooden beams, remove and replace these parts and ensure all connections and joints are tight. Your bed frame should now be complete, all you need to do is drop on the mattress and duvet and fix those hospital corners and the bed is ready for some serious sleeping. Creating a simple bed is really that simple, although clearly any woodworking bed plans you use or purchase will go into much greater detail, but hopefully this article has allayed any fears about the possibility of building your own bed from scratch.